Though it took extra innings last night, the Nationals beat the Padres for their second straight win and will now look for three in a row with Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. The Nats' right-hander leads the majors in wins with seven and will look for his eighth against a club he has had success against in the past. Zimmermann has started three games against San Diego, holding a 1.42 ERA across 19 innings pitched. He has taken the mound twice at Petco Park, going 1-0 with a 0.69 mark.

Pitching for the Padres will be 33-year-old lefthander Eric Stults. Stults split time with the White Sox and Padres last year and posted a 2.91 ERA through 99 innings. This year, however, he has struggled with a 4.57 mark in eight starts.

Stults will be making his first career start against the Nationals. The only two Nats that have faced him in their career are Dan Haren and Adam LaRoche. LaRoche is in the lineup tonight and is 0-for-2 against the lefty in two plate appearances.

One standout of the Nats' lineup is the absence of Bryce Harper, reports out of San Diego say it's due to a sore left knee.

Its the little things that Davey keeps forgetting like putting in Eury Perez to pinch run for Chad Tracy Thursday night.No reason Bernadina should be sitting right now. TylerMo got the job done and it still doesnt matter. Davey missing details isnt good and Knorr should be in his ear.

This isn't meant to be antagonistic, but I've watched alot of baseball in the last week and I haven't seen 1 third baseman take a ball in the chest. Not 1.I've seen ball after ball be hit for doubles down the line. I've seen balls hit in the hole between short and 3rd but not 1 that a third baseman put his face in front of to knock it down. Not 1.Someone please post the minute they see a play like that.

NatsJack, agreed on not blocking balls hit, but Zim should have blocked Bryce's errant throw from RF to 3rd the other night. Not getting in front of it cost us runs. A minor not, to be sure. But it did get my attention that Zim basically Ole'd the ball.

Peric… I agree with you almost 99% of the time. Not on Espi, he stinks, he simply is an automatic out and he has to go.I feel bad for J Zim because he does not deserve to lose this game. i just think the Nats are mediocre and i was once again fooled by what i thought was a good team, we are not. we are the worse hitting team in baseballgame over tonight and I bet Nats fall under 500 after the Giant series and will return home a losing team

NatsJack, I agree about OPACY – it's nice to look at from a distance. The game experience is not good. And did you see the police out at the warning track between every inning? B'more fans just wanna run onto the field at any opportunity I guess.

we simply stink, R Zim is too comfortable with his contract, 2 times in row, no contact on a steal… sorry team gang. really bad loss, i feel for J Zim being on a team witha bunch of stiffs and a clueless manager

BTW : run now unearned. Our fielding is killing us.As fir Lombo running? first time shame on him, second time shame on Davey. Rzim might be better, but not that much better.Rizzo. when are you going to bring Rendon up. also my usual fire Eck.JZim you cannot throw away a ball.The 8 inning killer tonight. braves scored 3 to win 3-1

Nats will return t DC under 500 and 5 back of Braves.Davey's managing has stunk, plain and simple, why in the hell did he send Lomba again??? Any good team would have booted Espi a week ago, is effort is pathetic

It seems like whenever the Nats lose a game the won't make .500 folks come out…The offense is bad, it's true. But if it continues Rizzo will probably make a move. And it's not like Atlanta's pulled away while the Mats have struggled. They don't need to be the best team in baseball, just better than Philly and Atlanta. Atlanta And they have questions too.

If you are going to steal, why not sub Perez in for Lombo? He drew the walk! He also would have gotten to the ball that dropped in for the initial single. Hit and run only works if one player can hit and the other can run.

Good to see Jzim pissed off at the end of the game in the dug-out with some choice words to himself… just hope he relays them loudly in the clubhouse…he did his job and only gave up 2 runs to the padres…this team is mind-boggling…jekyl & hyde…every day…never know what to expect.

Zimmerman has a chance for redemption and gets a cement mixer down the middle and swings and misses and leaves Lombo out there like a sitting duck.Guys are not executing. You get fantastic starting pitching and give him 1 run of support. Just pathetic.I also agree that Davey didn't make some wise moves. He needed a pinch-runner for LaRoche in the 9th in case Desi hits a gapper. No way LaRoche scores on anything but a HR.Also was a good point to take TyMo out in the 7th for Bernadina. TyMo's spot never came up again in the game.

Mick nailed. There is one star on this team. J Zimm. Everyone else stinks of mediocrity or worse.. Ry Zimm should come to the field with a ski mask on. Because he is robbing this team blind. Davey looks like a tired old man. He needs to step down. He has done nothing this year. Except keep Danny out there.

I'm with Jack.Moore,Espy, and Lombo in the lineup and field is too many holes to overcome. I disagree with FP on the ball Lombo played on the hop in the eighth.You gotta catch that ball.Why not pinch run Perez for Lombo in the 9th? I understood Lombo running in the 9th with Zimm up with 3-2 count. Ryan has to make contact.I feel bad for Jordan,too, but he made a base running error, and a throwing error on the pickoff attempt.Keep the loss in perspective.We're playing with one arm tied behind our back with Harp, Werth and Ramos out.

Gonat said… Zimmerman has a chance for redemption and gets a cement mixer down the middle and swings and misses and leaves Lombo out there like a sitting duck.Guys are not executing. You get fantastic starting pitching and give him 1 run of support. Just pathetic.I also agree that Davey didn't make some wise moves. He needed a pinch-runner for LaRoche in the 9th in case Desi hits a gapper. No way LaRoche scores on anything but a HR.Also was a good point to take TyMo out in the 7th for Bernadina. TyMo's spot never came up again in the game.I'll go one better. Why didn't Davey put in Bernie or Eury for Lombo. Put blazing speed out there.Agree that RZim didn't execute. JZim was great. Watching him is worth the ticket.

This was just an atrocious exhibition of hitting. A good high school team would of hung 5 or 6 runs on that pus lefty. ECK HAS TO GO ASAP!!!!!!!!!!! Has Eck ever played baseball? Better yet….has he ever put on a jock? Good bye, good riddance…that nonsense with the clipboard is over. And Im beginning to think Davey is Joe Gibbs II.

Joe Seamhead said… Why not pinch run Perez for Lombo in the 9th?I owe you a drink. Davey has a bench and doesn't use them. Bud Black used his guys. Davey is brain freezing more and more. This is obvious upgrades late in the game.

@natsJack RZim made no fielding error, but 2 hitting errors leaving Lombo out to dry.I agree why No perez for Lombo in the 9thDavey misses some obvious moves.Lombo not charging opening hit in the 8th conservative play, which for Lombo as a non outfielder. Wonder if the Shark would have dove for it as he seems to a lot.Rumor has it RIZZO called Big Cat to come be the hitting coach.

from the Nats web siteECKSTEIN RESUMEReturns for his 5th season as Nationals' hitting coach…has helped to establish Washington's lineup as one of the NL's top offensive units over the last 4 seasonsit's a topsy turvy world

We need someone who has been in the batters box on the ML level. Someone who understands what to look for from a pitcher. When to look for it and where. Someone who understands the cat n mouse game that goes on between hitter n pitcher. Eck has been stealing money for a long time now. Every frickin day we run an all star caliber pitcher out to the hill and we can't score 2 runs. It is disgraceful and it must stop now!!

Oh, he has made their lineup offensive, sure enough. Just not in the way you want them to be. I believe this lineup could be really good with an effective hitting coach. He is not one of those.New blog pic, in honor of Eck.

Manassas Nats' Fan said… Lombo not charging opening hit in the 8th conservative play, which for Lombo as a non outfielder. Wonder if the Shark would have dove for it as he seems to a lot.________________________________Lombo was way to deep to start with. Keep in mind who was batting. A big brain freeze there.

BTW Big Cat. Played professional baseball. Most of you believe coaching makes no difference to the players. As a former pro he believes the opposite. That is why I believe coaches are important.Eck is not helping these guys. He needs time to spend with his new daughter.

If the Nats just like the super choke Caps were in any other division they would probably be done already. It's mediocrity everyone. Lets go back to people's post from April. Most said 40 games would be a good sample size. Well here we are. And the sample is pretty bland.

You think the Nats are mess? Have a look at the Giants. They made 4 errors yesterday and (after Bochy called a meeting to discuss mental errors) they made another 3 today, and of their rotation, only Bumgarner is reliable.This is what their pitching staff has done over the last week:L 10-6 (Blue Jays) L 11-3 (Blue Jays) W 8-6 (Rox) L 10-9 (Rox) L 10-2 (Rox). Their bullpen is exhausted (except Romo). Agree on pinch running for Lombo. But if Davey is missing this type of move, doesn't he have a bench coach?

And wasian…remember when Joe called 2 timeouts in a row to try and ice somebody? Just listening to Davey sometimes after a game…the long pauses, the stammering…the far away look…the confused look. Or when he runs out to argue with an ump. Gimme a break. Do I say it, do I dare? Bring back Riggleman?

yup Joe S.Remember when Nat's philosphy was to emphasize speed and defense…Tonight, neither showed up…Lombo is a good util guy, but not an outfielder. He should never, ever play the outfield. Bernadina can hit as well as he can.

We are only 1.5 behind, we can fix this, but you can't fix it by not changing anything.First change Eck gone get a person who has proven he can hit. Second bench ESPI he can be a defensive replacement late.Send Tyler Moore to Syracuse to play dailt.Bring up Rendon to play second. (When Espi comes in Rendon can go to 3rd)When Werth comes up send Perez down.Line upSpanRendonHarperRZimLaRoche Desmond Werth catcherPitcher

NLGolf analogy. 3 wood is safer, but not as much pop.Irregardless btw is auto spelled as a word on iPads :-)Irregardless of that people on blogs that correct grammar should be get real and chill out. Last two game threads were just ridiculous.

NatsJack et al. – my views on the soulless OPaCy are well voiced here.Also well voiced here but I add my $.02 – casual readers might think this club is hopelessly mired in the celler. Look at the standings. Play ball.

I refuse to rant. You will rarely win a game when scoring one run. No matter what your pitcher does. Also– this season the Nats just don't get away with anything. Every mistake is glaring and costly. I am actually sorry, though, that so many fans are so focused on a daily basis on the holy grail of October and whatever the Barves are doing that they seem to have no enjoyment at all of baseball season or watching Bryce become who he is or watching a ridiculous pitching performance. Need to let it go and whatever happens , happens.

I don't usually post in game threads. But due to the start time, I was home, thought I'd settle in and enjoy the game with fellow fans. Not to be on this board. Much better over on WaPo. Granted, a game thread is probably not the time you are going to get thoughtful analysis or dialogue. But insults to other posters are not appreciated. We are all rooting for the same team–in theory. Sometimes it seems like people are rooting more for the "I told you so," than for the win. Anyone can predict bad results. In baseball, 40% of the time you will be right. If RZ had grounded into a DP you would have heard, why wasn't the runner going? Davey made his decision. Now, that said, I don't know why he didn't put Perez in as pinch-runner. Late and close, he should have Perez sitting on his shoulder lest he forget his existence. ;)I feel for Dan Haren, if Desi and Suzuki get the day off and Harper's not ready. Here is a recent writeup from fangraphs on Cashner.Cashnerhttp://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/missing-andrew-cashners-hard-slider/

mick, I still believe part of this is on the batters and now you have Span and Desi in a mini-slump which was something you couldn't afford, and a real bad time for Ryan Zimmerman to fail at the plate.

mick said… Ghost and Joe's post is interesting because it illustrates how a great manager can panic when he sees a team that has no offense.Any one who blames JZim for this loss is nutzo. The other Zim right now just can not stink enough.________________________________Agreed. There's not only Davey but also Randy Knorr is on the bench to be in his ear. You have 2 burners on the bench in Bernadina and Eury Perez, use them and they also make your defense better by playing LF.I also agree that after TyMo ended the top of the 7th with an out that it was time to get him out of the game and get Bernadina in RF.Davey brain froze once they walked LaRoche. Immediately you have to pull him for a pinch-runner. Huston Street probably has to then change his approach to Desmond.

Dr. Phil says the deffintion of insanity is " Doing tge same thing over and over but expecting a different result"As a team the Nats swing at too many balls, let to many fast balls over the plate gi by and continue to keep only a fw guys hitting over .250 in the line up .Pitchers are doing great, and they are not the priblem at all (or maybe 2% of the problem.)

I still believe we will win the division, but until we get the correct line up it will not be easy. Two hitters are hurt (not Davey's) fault One position not producing and nin hitters stay there (Rizzo's fault)